Internal information Animal Ecology
Welcome to the program of Animal Ecology at the Department of Ecology and Genetics! In this document you will find information specific to the program of Animal Ecology. More general information can be found at www.ieg.uu.se/internal, on the main webpages of Uppsala University (www.uu.se/) and in the UU internal web pages. Log in for intranet information as well as the public information. The University pages are, unfortunately, not all in English, but they are working on it. For keys, entrance cards and codes, read here!
Administration
Coffee room
Dissertations
Gym cards
Labs: frog lab, insect lab, molecular lab, nematode lab, rough lab
Mail service
Monday fika
Network and printers
Leaving
Presence/absence
Publications
Red lights
Revolution
Rooms
Seminars
Stiftelsen för Zoologisk forskning
Stipends and applications for funding
Telephones and fax
Working environment
Web pages
More information can be found here: https://www.ieg.uu.se/internal/economy-and-purchases/
The administrators are employed by the Department of Ecology and Genetics and have two different roles, working either with finances or with human resources. All administrators are assigned to one or several programs, and have also department-wide duties.
The administrators’ main role is to implement and enforce the rules and regulations related to finances (including invoices) and human resources (such as job contracts) that are imposed by the central administration. Thus, their tasks are entirely set by some authority above the program level. This also means that at the program level we have no influence on their work or routines. Not all the rules and regulations are easy to understand, or agree with, but it is the administrators’ task to make sure we adhere to these rules. This means that if you think something you are told to do makes no sense, please don’t shoot the administrators, as their role is only to provide information. You have to complete some administrative procedures (for example, travel reimbursement and vacation) yourself using online forms available on the University web pages.
The size of the economy has grown and is now more than twice the size it was 10 years ago. In addition, the demands from the central administration with regard to budgets and financial statements have increased every year, which means that the financial administrators have to spend an increasing amount of time with this, often under a very tight time schedule. Since the number of administrators has not increased accordingly, it means that the time for help at the program level is quite constrained and more work has to be done by each of us. This is particularly true at the time of the budget work, which everyone has to respect. It is important to remember in this context that the administrators are not classical “secretaries”, i.e. people hired to take care of all sorts of minor things, but instead have their clearly defined roles set from above. If you do not know what their tasks are, ask politely!
This is the room for coffee breaks and lunch, or any meal. Everyone is responsible for keeping it clean and nice. We have a dishwasher, so please put your used mugs and plates there, or clean them directly after use. The cleaning staff cleans the fridges at regular intervals, but they do not take care of dirty plates and cooking pots. If the coffee machine is out of order use the telephone number that you find on the machine and report the error. This is our own responsibility.
The grand finale of PhD-training is the dissertation. In Sweden these are public events with friends and family being present in addition to all of us at the program. There is an invited opponent from another University who asks question in relation to the thesis, and an evaluation committee who finally makes the decision about the fate of the thesis. Since it is public, the audience is also invited to ask questions about the content of the thesis. The dissertation has a strict format and the two main players, opponent and respondent (PhD-student), are usually dressed up. The whole act takes about two hours, and afterwards there is a small celebration. In the evening there is usually a party hosted by the new PhD. Presence at the dissertation is a good way to honor the fellow student, in addition to listening to a great scientific discussion.
The University is keen on keeping employers fit. Therefore, UU subsidizes gym cards with one very important restriction: it is only for those who are formally employed by UU. Graduate students with “utbildningsbidrag” do not count as employed, strangely enough, but this is how the rules work. The same applies to post-docs with external money that is not channelled through UU. Read more about gym card subsidiary and health care issues.
Labs
We have five different laboratories. Before you start working in any of these, you have to have an agreement with the person responsible for that lab for a safety introduction.
Frog lab: responsible person: Anssi Laurila
Insect lab: responsible person: Johanna L Rönn
Molecular lab: We have a well-equipped molecular lab. If you want to do some work there you have to contact Gunilla Engström, who is responsible for the lab. She will introduce you to the routines and safety rules at the lab, and for safety reasons no one is allowed to work in the lab without this introduction.
Nematode lab: responsible person: Martin Lind
Rough lab: responsible person: Gunilla
We have our own envelopes with postage paid, and with the department and UU name on it. Please note that these envelopes are for work letters only. Private use of the envelopes is therefore not allowed.
ORDERING
When you need anything to be ordered you shall contact Gunilla Engström for information. If you order yourself, be aware of the Uppsala University "ramavtal". You also have to use the right reference code (see the economy pages of IEG) and your name along with the order. Since all invoices are handled electronically the reference code is necessary for the invoice to find our department. Exceptions are invoices from other countries. These invoices shall be handed over to the administrator at the department.
PACKAGE AND MAIL DELIVERY
Address for package delivery:
Your name
Dept. of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology
Kåbovägen 4
752 36 Uppsala
Address for mail delivery:
Your name
Dept. of Ecology and Genetics, Animal Ecology
Norbyvägen 18D
752 36 Uppsala
Address for invoices from Swedish suppliers (faktureringsadress)
Our invoice adress is available at the Economy pages for IEG.
Sending packages:
The campus management takes care of sending packages and documents. Posten is used for domestic transport and CLX for overseas. CLX will direct the consignments to FedEX, UPS or DHL. Give this information:
1) Address of recipient
2) Phone number of recipient
3) Name and phone number of the sender
4) E-mail address of sender and recipient
5) Reference code of sender
6) Content (if it is biological samples , it must be declared and stated whether they are contagious or not)
7) The date when the package shall reach its destination
You must state if the package contains dry ice. (3 kg dry ice is needed for a 24 h transport). Leave the package in the mail room and contact one of the technicians in the campus management. For sending the same day the package must be put in the mail room before 2 pm!
Read more here!
On Mondays at 10.00 we have our departmental coffee break, when we share a cake, introduce new people, and share information. We ask that everyone take turns in providing a cake - there is a list posted on the door, so please sign up!
To get access to the printer and the network or get your new computer ready for use please contact computer@ebc.uu.se for help. Note you need to be connected to the net in order to use the printer facilities. They can also answer question about software licenses and data storage facilities. Read more here!
When you are leaving us please remember to return the key and the entrance card.
You can keep your e-mail for three months after departure, which gives you ample time to notify journals, friends and others about your new e-mail address. In addition, make sure you redirect your e-mail. Details are found on the webmail home page.
If you want to have your regular mail redirected ask the Campus management in the basement.
Even if most of you do not have scheduled work times, we still want you to note your presence/absence on the board at either corridor entrance. This is an easy way for all of us, including visitors, to keep track of who is where. All of us also have a board outside our doors where we can announce when we will be away and for how long. The purpose of all of this is to let colleagues and visitors know how and when to find you. Please make sure to note on the board if you will be away for a week or more. The University is obliged to have some control of the whereabouts of their employees, and this is an easy way to accomplish this.
We hope you are successful and are able to publish your results. If so, please make sure to use the correct address:
Animal Ecology
Department of Ecology and Genetics
Uppsala University
Norbyvägen 18D
752 36 Uppsala
Sweden
We are evaluated yearly on the basis of our publication record, and since this is made by search engines it very important that our address is visible.
When you get a paper accepted, the tradition is to provide a cake for joint celebration.
Respect door lights if present! Red light means “do not disturb”, yellow means “on the telephone, come back later”, while green light (or no light) means you are free to enter. We use the red light with great care, which means that if it is on, it is really important not to enter.
Every year we have a two-day internal symposium, by tradition called “The Revolution”, where everyone is required to present their latest results. The format is the same as in international conferences, i.e. 15 min talk + 5 min for questions. We invite two distinguished guests to act as contra-revolutionaries, and it all ends with a party. To make the most of the Revolution, all talks are evaluated by the audience to give constructive feedback on all aspects of your presentation. The Revolution started in 1980 and most of the major scientists in our field have been here as contra-revolutionaries. This event is mandatory for everyone. By tradition, the Revolution and everything around it is organised by the new PhD-students and/or post-docs of the year. Normally the Revolution is held in mid-February.
All questions about office space should be directed to Frank Johansson.
An important part of the scientific life of the department is seminars, and everyone is strongly encouraged to participate in the seminars. This is particularly true for the PhD-students since this is an excellent way to broaden their academic horizons and learn about how scientific discussions are held. We have seminars with invited guests that are hosted by us or by another department at EBC. Often when there is a dissertation, we ask the opponent to give a seminar. We also often have irregular visits by scientists who are asked to give a seminar. In addition, there are a number of reading groups at EBC, so keep your eyes open for e-mails about these groups. Our own internal seminar is the b-seminar, which is a lunch seminar where a recent paper is discussed. This seminar is also an excellent place to informally discuss your recent data and get feedback on research plans etc. Since seminars are such a vital part of science and a place to exchange and discuss ideas and data, everyone is encouraged to initiate a seminar whenever there is need for it, in any format that is appropriate for the occasion.
Stiftelsen för Zoologisk forskning
This foundation was founded in the early 1960’s as a donation from the late Professor Nils von Hofsten. According to the statutes of the foundation two things should happen every year at the beginning of October (the von Hofsten Day). First, stipends should be handed out to graduate students and post-docs for their research. Second, a distinguished scientist should be invited to give an honorary lecture. To celebrate this day there is a dinner for everyone working at the three programs, which is free of charge to PhD students, postdocs, Master’s students and faculty. There is a call for applications for stipends in September, and the decision is given on the von Hofsten Day. It is considered polite for those who have been given a stipend to visit the lecture as well as the dinner.
There is an additional fund connected to the Hofsten foundation called the Hemborg fund, in memory of Christer Hemborg who received his PhD from the program in 1998, but tragically died during his post-doc in South Africa. This fund provides a stipend every second year to a graduate student in Animal Ecology working with African ornithology. This stipend is restricted to PhD-students in the first two years of study. If there are no applications, a young scientist working with tropical ornithology will be invited to give talk at the von Hofsten Day.
Stipends and applications for funding
There are many funds to which you can apply for smaller amounts of money for your research. These are usually announced on the board in the corridor, but can also be found on the web. Some applications can be signed by the program head, but others can only be signed by the head of department (prefect). Note that we can only accept grants with full cover of overhead (OH) costs. If a fund stipulates a percentage for OH that is lower than what Uppsala University charges there will be a deficit that needs to be covered somehow. If you want to apply for such a fund, you have to contact the program head for approval.
The telephones and fax are for work-related calls only, and can only be used for numbers within Sweden. To get an outside line press “00”, then the number. To call within UU you only need to dial the last four digits.
Everyone is required to pay attention to the work environment and to report problems. We have two persons responsible for this, Johanna Rönn (safety) and Gunilla Engström (chemicals). They are the our elected representatives in health and safety issues, and they also monitor how the employer fulfils safety regulations. The overall responsibility for health and safety belongs to the head of department (porefect) and the head of program. If you have problems related to this, discuss with Johanna or Gunilla, or directly with the department/program head. These problems can range from physical problems with your room or work place, but also issues with sexual harassment, discrimination and victimization at work. The Swedish law concerning work-related problems is very strict and everyone is required to know the about these laws and regulations. UU has adopted a very strict policy with regard to work environment. Relevant information can be found here:
http://regler.uu.se/Rules_and_regulations_in_English/
https://www.av.se/en/health-and-safety/mental-ill-health-stress-threats-and-violence/
In short:
Sexual harassment includes any unwanted sexual suggestions or physical contact.
Discrimination is negative treatment due to sex, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation.
Examples of victimization at work include spreading rumours, making negative comments or aggressive behaviour.
Read more here!
Martin Lind is the web responsible for IEG and will help you to set up a research group webpage. Please remember that you have to create the content yourself. Book a meeting with Martin for more information!
